Comments on dolce bellezza: The Savage Detectives. Group Read Sans Moi

Missed you, too. Secretly hoping you'll come b...

2012-02-02T09:48:33.362-06:00

Missed you, too. Secretly hoping you'll come back to WordPress or Blogger because Tumblr confuses me. Although, on my practice blog which I set up a year or so ago, I can see that it's possible to add a comment option through Disqus. Super easy! I like how you explore all the platforms for your blog.

The only way you can comment there I think is by p...

2012-02-01T21:12:40.049-06:00

The only way you can comment there I think is by pressing on the Ask button and messaging me. :) I'll try tumblr for now because it allows me to just blog on the go and takes no time at all.. we'll see.. you know me heheh. Missed you a lot!

Oh! The "insufferable" was from the long...

2012-02-01T15:55:19.605-06:00

Oh! The "insufferable" was from the long quotation from page 185 - not your word, but the author's!

Love the thought of one-word reviews, perhaps as an accompaniment to more complete pieces.

Col, I hope that you fare better in your reading t...

2012-02-01T15:38:37.918-06:00

Col, I hope that you fare better in your reading than I! Thank you for the birthday wishes, and I'll be sure to be around to visit soon. I feel very separated from my blogging friends!

p.s.s. I have since abandoned The Third Reich as w...

2012-02-01T15:37:36.462-06:00

p.s.s. I have since abandoned The Third Reich as well. That story was going no where fast. Just some dumb German guy into pretend war games on the beach with his love...ad nauseum. ;)

An interesting question, Richard, about whether I ...

2012-02-01T15:36:45.569-06:00

An interesting question, Richard, about whether I disliked it more for the style or the content. I would have to say that my first response leans toward the content. I'm not much of a poet (let alone a visceral realist ;), and so right off the bat I find little in common with our "hero"...that, combined with his male psyche, and Cuban background, had me floundering for a connection. I guess the storytelling capped it all off, which I found very disjointed style. Still, as I said to Rise, I do appreciate the introduction to authors outside of my usual venue.

Les, it means a lot to me to have you stop by with...

2012-02-01T15:31:48.712-06:00

Les, it means a lot to me to have you stop by with well wishes. Plus, I see a card from you on the counter which I'll open up tonight with my cup of tea. XO

Claire, how fun that you've started a new site...

2012-02-01T15:31:01.689-06:00

Claire, how fun that you've started a new site on Tumblr! Now I just have to figure out how to leave a comment there, or as far as I can tell what they call a Note. :)

Bettina, thanks for visiting and expressing your t...

2012-02-01T15:30:14.791-06:00

Bettina, thanks for visiting and expressing your thoughts. I, too, often struggle through a book no matter what the cost. In fact, that's what I always do until the past year or so. Now I'm giving up stubborn determination in favor of the the plethora of books I want to read which I feel will hold more promise for my reading joy.

Andi, I'm assuming you've not read Bolano ...

2012-02-01T15:28:27.201-06:00

Andi, I'm assuming you've not read Bolano before? If not, may I suggest not starting with this one? :)

I'm not quite sure where I said 'insuffera...

2012-02-01T15:27:52.591-06:00

I'm not quite sure where I said 'insufferable' but now that you mention it, Linda, that does seem an apt word for my review/opinion of this work. (Wouldn't one word reviews be an interesting thing to write?!)

C.B., I wonder if I'll try yet a third time......

2012-02-01T15:26:43.944-06:00

C.B., I wonder if I'll try yet a third time...can't say for sure right now.

Hmmm, I can't say I'm entirely sure of you...

2012-02-01T15:26:09.666-06:00

Hmmm, I can't say I'm entirely sure of your opinion Parrish, other than appreciating Bolano's writing more than I did.

And, thank you for the birthday wishes on the 30th!

Yours was the first review I read, Caroline, and i...

2012-02-01T15:25:23.791-06:00

Yours was the first review I read, Caroline, and it interested me that we felt similarly about it. Whenever I don't particularly care for an author I think, "Is there something wrong with my literary knowledge?" So, it assuages my feelings to know I'm not entirely alone.

This is only my second foray into Roberto Bolano&#...

2012-02-01T15:24:08.476-06:00

This is only my second foray into Roberto Bolano's work. I was quite intrigued by Monsieur Pain, but have since abandoned not only this book, but The Third Reich as well.
I haven't read enough of him to be able to note what he captures. Still, I appreciate the exposure you (and Richard) have brought me to his writing. He's not an author I'd have picked up on my own, and sadly, he still remains a bit of a mystery to me.

Abandoning books I'm not enjoying is an acquir...

2012-02-01T15:22:02.240-06:00

Abandoning books I'm not enjoying is an acquired skill for me, Kathleen. It's still not something I'm entirely comfortable doing!

Nicole, once I sat down with Part 1 I really enjoy...

2012-02-01T15:21:21.113-06:00

Nicole, once I sat down with Part 1 I really enjoyed it. His narrative was wonderful and true. The fragmentation in Part 2 was a kiss of death for me. Skipping around from one random character to another just didn't work for this reader.

I'm glad the passage I quoted pleased you, too. There were aspects of the book which were quite enjoyable, I guess I just didn't like it as a whole.

I wanted to participate, but work just got in the ...

2012-02-01T05:30:33.431-06:00

I wanted to participate, but work just got in the way for me. I am reading the book now, and plan to go back and look at all the comments! Hope you are enjoying Florida!

And Happy Birthday, since it looks like I missed it! Baci! xoxo

I'm sorry you didn't appreciate this, Bell...

2012-01-30T22:16:00.083-06:00

I'm sorry you didn't appreciate this, Bellezza, but I'm glad you at least gave it a try. You and I must have completely opposite tastes on Bolaño, though, because his The Third Reich is the only book by him I didn't enjoy (I think there was a reason he never approved it for publication in his lifetime). If you have the time, I'd love to hear about whether you disliked this more for the storytelling style or the content or both equally. That wasn't entirely clear to me from your post. Cheers!

Completely unrelated, but I had to stop by and wis...

2012-01-30T08:58:16.842-06:00

Completely unrelated, but I had to stop by and wish you a very happy birthday! I hope you have a lovely day, Bellezza. xoxo

Sorry to hear that.. I was going to read along too...

2012-01-30T00:52:18.056-06:00

Sorry to hear that.. I was going to read along too but got sidetracked again, as usual, but will read it soon.. Hope you had a wonderful time during the holidays. I only recently read your message in the comments, thanks so much. xx

Kudos to you for not finishing if you didn't l...

2012-01-29T11:28:00.663-06:00

Kudos to you for not finishing if you didn't like it. Maybe another time (the first time I read it, it took me ages. I enjoyed it much, much more as a - partial - re-read).
I'm having similar problems with Augusto Roa Bastos's "Yo el Supremo", which I've been dragging along for at least half a year. I just can't get into it and keep abandoning it and then taking it up again. Unfortunately, I'm very stubborn and won't give up, even if it means suffering for months ;). Perhaps it's time I took a page out of your book and just let go.

Yeah, couldn't do it. I just have a feeling.

2012-01-29T10:15:34.855-06:00

Yeah, couldn't do it. I just have a feeling.

I think my favorite word within your favorite para...

2012-01-28T22:32:01.755-06:00

I think my favorite word within your favorite paragraph is "insufferable".

Enough said, perhaps.

While I liked this book much more than you did, I ...

2012-01-28T06:48:47.922-06:00

While I liked this book much more than you did, I didn't finish it either. I did keep it though. I think it's one of those books I'll have to attempt more than once before I fall for it.